Nonessentialist
Thinks ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE
“I have to.”
“It’s all important.”
“How can I fit it all in?”
Does THE UNDISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF MORE
Reacts to what’s most pressing
Says “yes” to people without really thinking
Tries to force execution at the last moment
Gets LIVES A LIFE THAT DOES NOT SATISFY
Takes on too much, and work suffers
Feels out of control
Is unsure of whether the right things got
done
Feels overwhelmed and exhausted
“I have to.”
Forfeits the right to choose
Thinks almost everything is essential
Views opportunities as basically equal
Thinks, “I can do both.”
Asks, “How can I do it all?”
Is too busy doing to think about life
Pays attention to the loudest voice
Hears everything being said
Is overwhelmed by all the information
Thinks play is trivial
Thinks play is an unproductive waste of time
THINKS: One hour less of sleep equals one
more hour of productivity.
Sleep is for failures.
Sleep is a luxury.
Sleep breeds laziness.
Sleep gets in the way of “doing it all.”
Says yes to almost every request or
opportunity
Uses broad, implicit criteria like “If someone I
know is doing it, I should do it.”
Essentialist
Thinks LESS BUT BETTER
“I choose to.”
“Only a few things really matter.”
“What are the trade-offs?”
Does THE DISCIPLINED PURSUIT OF LESS
Pauses to discern what really matters
Says “no” to everything except the essential
Removes obstacles to make execution easy
Gets LIVES A LIFE THAT REALLY MATTERS
Chooses carefully in order to do great work
Feels in control
Gets the right things done
Experiences joy in the journey
“I choose to.”
Exercises the power of choice
Thinks almost everything is nonessential
Distinguishes the vital few from the trivial
many
Asks, “What is the trade-off I want to make?”
Asks, “What can I go big on?”
Creates space to escape and explore life
Pays attention to the signal in the noise
Hears what is not being said
Scans to find the essence of the information
Knows play is essential
Knows play sparks exploration
KNOWS: One hour more of sleep equals
several more hours of much higher
productivity.
Sleep is for high performers.
Sleep is a priority.
Sleep breeds creativity.
Sleep enables the highest levels of mental
contribution.
Says yes to only the top 10 percent of
opportunities
Uses narrow, explicit criteria like “Is this
exactly what I am
Nonessentialist
Has a vague, general vision or mission
statement
Has concrete quarterly objectives but ones
that fail to energize or inspire people to take
their efforts to the next level
Has a value set but no guiding principles for
implementing them
Avoids saying no to avoid feeling social
awkwardness and pressure
Says yes to everything
Asks, “Why stop now when I’ve already
invested so much in this project?”
Thinks, “If I just keep trying, I can make this
work.”
Hates admitting to mistakes
Thinks that making things better means
adding something
Attached to every word, image, or detail
Thinks if you have limits you will be limited
Sees boundaries as constraining
Exerts effort attempting the direct “no”
Assumes the best-case scenario will happen
Forces execution at the last minute
Piles on quick-fix solutions
Does more
Starts with a big goal and gets small results
Goes for the flashiest wins
Tries to execute the essentials by force
Allows nonessentials to be the default
Mind is spinning out about the past or the
future
Thinks about what was important yesterday
or tomorrow
Worries about the future or stresses about
the past
Essentialist
Has a strategy that is concrete and
inspirational
Has an intent that is both meaningful and
memorable
Makes one decision that eliminates one
thousand later decisions
Dares to say no firmly, resolutely, and
gracefully
Says yes only to the things that really
Asks, “If I weren’t already invested in this
project, how much would I invest in it now?”
Thinks, “What else could I do with this time
or money if I pulled the plug now?”
Comfortable with cutting losses
Thinks that making things better means
subtracting something
Eliminates the distracting words, images, and
details
Knows that if you have limits you will become
limitless
Sees boundaries as liberating
Sets rules in advance that eliminate the need
for the direct “no”
Builds in a buffer for unexpected events
Practices extreme and early preparation
Removes obstacles to progress
Brings forth more
Starts small and gets big results
Celebrates small acts of progress
Designs a routine that enshrines what is
essential, making execution almost effortless
Makes the essential the default position
Mind is focused on the present
Tunes in to what is important right now
Enjoys the moment